West Point chief: Academy addressing sexual harassment, assault

WEST POINT — A year after he took the reins at West Point, Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen Jr. still puts addressing sexual harassment and sexual assault at the top of his priority list.

BY MICHAEL RANDALL

WEST POINT — A year after he took the reins at West Point, Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen Jr. still puts addressing sexual harassment and sexual assault at the top of his priority list.

But Caslen informed the military academy's Board of Visitors on Monday that progress is being made.

"My main focus is on prevention," Caslen said.

Cases at West Point have ranged from a coach who was fired last year for alleged inappropriate behavior toward a staff member, to an Army sergeant stationed at West Point who pleaded guilty at a court-martial earlier this year after being accused of secretly photographing and videotaping women.

West Point's program to combat sexual harassment and sexual abuse includes getting the cadets involved in the prevention process. The program Cadets Against Sexual Harassment and Assault was formed several years ago.

Caslen said he's also trying to ensure the effort doesn't get to the point where cadets engage in what he called "avoidance of gender engagement," where males and females don't mix "for fear (they) might say something (they) might regret later."

"That undermines the strength of the team," Caslen said. He envisions a Corps of Cadets where "they don't see each other as mixed genders; they see each other as teammates."

The Board of Visitors is a panel of federal presidential appointees and members of the House and Senate who serve as an advisory board to the military academy. Created by a federal statute, the board is charged with inquiring into all educational, military training and other aspects of life at West Point.

Also at Monday's meeting, Caslen and Col. Deborah McDonald, West Point's director of admissions, briefed the board on the incoming Class of 2018, which McDonald has called one of the most diverse in West Point's history. It includes 264 women (22 percent of the class), 122 Hispanics (10 percent), 169 blacks (14 percent) and 94 of Asian or Pacific Island descent (8 percent).